Environment

After one of the warmest Decembers on record. Indiana is set to see some more familiar winter weather heading into the new year.

National Weather Service Meteorologist Jason Puma says the El-Nino-fueled jet stream that was pushing cold temperatures north into Canada is losing steam, and nature is leaving behind the spring-like temps Hoosiers enjoyed in December.

Indiana State Parks kicked off their 100th birthday celebration at McCormick’s Creek State Park in Owen County today, the first of many events planned leading up to the official centennial next year.

McCormick’s Creek was established as Indiana’s first state park in 1916. A full year of events celebrating that anniversary started Wednesday, as dozens of people gathered at the park’s Canyon Inn for a traditional 1916-style breakfast followed by a hike.

Park Manager Dwight Brooks says McCormick’s Creek was actually a gift to the state for its centennial.

The Wabash River occupies a comfortable position in Indiana consciousness. The state designated the waterway as its official river in 1996, and marching bands and a cappella groups pay it homage before Purdue football games and the Little 500 bicycle race. But until earlier this year, no one knew exactly how much the state depended on the river.

Tippecanoe County residents served by American Suburban Utilities will make their case this evening against the company’s plan to double the monthly sewer fee within three years.

ASU owner Scott Lods notified customers in September that he wants to increase fees to cover the cost of expanding a waste water treatment plant, as well as upgrading sewer lines and three lift stations.

Environmental groups are gearing up for their annual "Greening the Statehouse" event this weekend at the University of Indianapolis, where they'll be learning about the EPA's new rules on coal ash storage.

The ash is a byproduct of coal-burning power plants, and it contains heavy metals such as mercury, cadmium and arsenic. It's often stored wet, in sludge ponds, and Indiana has more of them than any other state.

US Senator Joe Donnelly says the Environmental Protection Agency needs to collaborate with small businesses and the agricultural community before crafting new water regulations, legislation co-sponsored by the Hoosier Democrat failed to clear a procedural hurdle in the Senate Tuesday.

The EPA regulates navigable waterways under the Clean Water Act. But the federal agency sought to broaden its regulatory reach by redefining what’s known as the Waters of the United States law to include smaller bodies of water, including streams, ponds, and drainage ditches.

The public has until Saturday to weigh in on the strategic plan that will guide how the state’s forestlands are used over the next four years. It proposes higher user fees – and no rollback in logging on state-owned land.

A little more than 10 years ago, the Division of Forestry sold about 3 million board feet each year from state-controlled land. But today, more than four times that much timber – 14 million board feet – leaves the forest each year.

For around a decade, beekeepers have seen around one-quarter to one-third of their colonies die every year. There are many potential causes for the die-off, but most scientists agree a parasitic mite is a major factor.

Purdue entomologist Greg Hunt says if a bee were human-sized, the mite would be about the size of a balled-up fist. Other scientists say the size is more comparable to a pancake.

But now, Purdue University scientists have bred special bees that are biting back.

A group of Indiana climate scientists say the Pence administration doesn’t understand the science of climate change and needs to take action to address the issue.

Gabriel Filippelli is an IUPUI earth sciences professor and led a group of scientists in penning a letter to Governor Mike Pence. Filippelli says the reality of climate change – and that humans are largely responsible for it – is no longer debated by the scientific community.